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Editors' review

The Conquest 4 is a high end, low cost, heavy hitter in the world of competition shooting. It's a very shootable bow that is shot by numerous archers around the world. There are many things to make this as good of a bow that it can be; but the thing that stands out the most, is how much you can change the bow with all of the cam choices. With the MSRP on the Conquest 4 at nearly $400 under the cost of some of the other target bows from Mathews; this is an excellent bow to shoot based solely on what it has done for gold record holders and tournament winners.

Limbs/Riser

The Conquest 4 uses a parallel limb design using their composite limbs, which are known for being strong, reliable and accurate. The limbs are securely held by the V-Lock limb pocket system that allows for a snug fit that increases accuracy and efficiency (not to mention longevity). The riser is a machined Aeroriser (aluminum) with a Harmonic Damping System to reduce the amount of residual vibration that makes it to the hand of the shooter. Mathews made this a fairly long riser; when added with the limbs it comes in with an axle to axle measuring at 41" and the brace height is a very forgiving 7". Being an aluminum riser and using the composite material limbs and cutting down on a lot of vibration dampening equipment bring this bow in weighing a light 4.4lbs (bare bow). All of these specs come together to create a bow that feels incredibly stable at full draw and light enough to carry around all day.

Grip

The Conquest 4 is equipped with the Integral Grip which is what is most likely going to be found on big name target bows. This type of grip is thin and comfortable in the hand and reduces hand torque to a very minimum. The only complaint that comes from a grip like this is the possibility of becoming slick when your hand sweats, also it can get pretty cold during harsh weather. Most shooters that find this to be a problem remedy the issue with hockey tape, be careful when doing this because the hockey tape can begin to break down and then the grip will go from slick to sticky real quick.

Color Options/Finish

This bow is offered in a number of target colors; Blue Smoke, Red Smoke and Orange Smoke. It also has the option of a black riser. The limbs are available in flat black and Realtree HD camo. All of the paint patterns on the risers are fairly glossy with the exception of the flat black; which has a somewhat grainy feel to it. The finish on the riser on the Conquest 4 is nearly flawless; meaning it is practically impossible to feel any groves or see any runs in the paint pattern.

Eccentric System

The drive behind the Conquest 4 is yet another Perimeter Weighted Solocam system from Mathews which can send arrows down range at up to 310fps IBO. This bow's eccentric system is one of the most customizable systems in Mathews' lineup. There are three different cam systems to choose from and let off choices between 80%, 65% and 60%. The cam choices are the Max Cam in 65% or 80% with draw lengths from 28"-32"; and for the shorter draw length shooters there is the MiniMax cam available only in 65% let off and draw lengths from 24"-29"; and lastly there is the Super Soft cam available in only 60% let off and draw lengths from 28"-32". All of these options may sound confusing but it is all actually quite simple, unless you are a 28" draw and not sure what let off you are interested in purchasing. In most shooters opinions the 80% let off cams have a little bit spongy back wall not that great for shooting back tension releases and the 60% and 65% let off cams are a little bit on the harsh side but have a very solid back wall but slightly shorter valley; which is fairly common with most bows.

Mathews equipped the Conquest 4 with the Zebra Barracuda strings which Mathews calls the best string on the market. These strings are pre-stretched to reduce peep turn and break in to an absolute minimum. These are a 24 count Z-S Twist string which is known for being very strong and reliable all while providing a long lifespan.

Draw Cycle

The draw cycle of the Conquest 4 can vary quite a bit from stiff and humpy to super smooth. This bow seems to have a kind of "give and take" when it comes to the draw cycle. The smoother the draw is, it seems the less solid the back wall is going to be and then of course this works in the opposite direction; meaning if the draw seems a little on the harsh side the back wall will be pretty solid but a touch smaller valley. Overall the draw cycle is smooth though, it's nothing that a shooter can't get used to.

The shot is very smooth on most options, there isn't a whole lot of vibration in the hand; nothing that a good stabilizer can't take care of. However this isn't the quietest bow that Mathews has ever made, nor is it the loudest. It is loud enough to think that it really wasn't made to go out and take down whitetails without trying to do some noise reduction on your own.

Best Usage

This bow is a competition bow beyond all reasonable doubt. The stable feel at full draw and the very forgiving nature of the bow make it perfect for competitive archery. The Conquest 4 has made a lot of appearances on podiums all over the world. This is the kind of bow that you can see shooting spots indoors as well as making its way around the 3D course. This bow is forgiving enough to make it a tack driver and fast enough to shorten pin gap and make up for a misjudged yardage.

Conquest 4 vs. Conquest Triumph

The Conquest 4 is a bow that has been around for a little while and in the hands of many shooters. In 2010 Mathews released the Conquest Triumph and these two bows share a lot of similarities; weight, brace height, limb pockets. A big difference is look and price. The Conquest 4 is in most cases around $300 or $400 cheaper than the Triumph and a little bit easier to balance; all while shooting every bit as accurate as the $1000+ brother. The Mathews Conquest Triumph has the GridLock riser which in some eyes is a much more attractive bow, but that is clearly personal preference. Also Mathews went out of their way with noise reduction on the Triumph; this is one of the quietest target bows that they have ever released. When two bows perform so closely it is hard to choose a clear cut winner and that is the case with these two. However, most shooters look at the Conquest 4 because of the availability of a very affordable used bow that is in great shape and capable of upping their game.

Summary

In short, the Mathews Conquest 4 is a high end target bow with the long ATA and good brace height that is very capable of putting up great scores in stiff competition. Also one of Mathews' lightest competition rigs it isn't a bare to walk around the ranges all day. It is very customizable to the specific needs of most shooters; whether it is smooth drawing, fast shooting or forgiving as possible. A little on the noisy side but this bow is practically dead in the hand at the shot. With a good stabilizer this bow will become even more comfortable for most shooters and it is balanced very well at full draw so it won't take much before you can start pin-wheeling some targets.